Ballu Khan
Encyclopedia
Ballu Khan is an Indo-Fijian
businessman . His company, Tui Management Services, is the joint owner with the Vanua Development Corporation (VDC) of Pacific Connex (PCX), which sells SAP software and has sought to enter the 3G mobile telephony market in Fiji. VDC is the commercial wing of the Native Land Trust Board (NLTB) which administers indigenous land holdings throughout Fiji. He is also a major supporter of the Ovalau
Rugby Union team
.
Khan is known for his close ties with the former government of Laisenia Qarase
, which was deposed in the military coup
of 5 December 2006. He has a tense relationship with the Republic of Fiji Military Forces
, which predates the coup.
The Fiji Sun
reported on 25 October 2006 that Colonel
Pita Driti
, the Land Force Commander, had condemned Khan for employing former Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit
(CRW) soldiers as bodyguards. The CRW was implicated in a mutiny
which left eight soldiers dead on 2 November 2000. Driti and Captain Esala Teleni
, the Deputy Commander of the Military, issued a veiled threat to Khan, http://www.fijilive.com/news/show/news/2006/10/25/fijilive2.html warning that the Military was in a position to stop former CRW soldiers from working for him. http://www.fijilive.com/news/show/news/2006/10/27/fijilive2.html
Following the coup, armed soldiers raided the PCX office and Khan's private residence http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?ref=archive&id=53229 http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?ref=archive&id=53186 http://www.fijivillage.com/artman/publish/article_34282.shtml on 9 December 2006, and arrested six bodyguards who had been CRW soldiers. Documents and hard drives were removed from the office, according to Colonel Driti. http://www.fijilive.com/news/show/news/2006/12/09/fijilive04.html Khan's house was raided again on 12 December. http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=53381 http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=53419 http://www.fijilive.com/news/show/news/2006/12/09/fijilive02.html All of these raids took place while Khan was out of Fiji.
. http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?ref=archive&id=57704. He became a school teacher and taught at Vunisea and Laucala
Beach Secondary School. He then trained as a chartered accountant and became an investigator for New Zealand's Inland Revenue Department
.
, Australia
in 1997. Tui Consulting's business was assisting utilities and public sector organizations implement SAP software solutions. Tui Consulting has undertaken SAP projects in New Zealand, Australia, United States, Canada, and Singapore. In 2002 he moved the company's headquarters to Tacoma, Washington.http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2002/06/03/daily54.html Axon Group
, a business transformation consultancy acquired Tui Consulting for a price, reported to be up to $(US)11.75 in December 2005http://www.advfn.com/news_Axon-to-buy-TUI-Consulting-for-up-to-11-75-mln-usd_13583308.html
It was reported in February 2005 http://dwb.thenewstribune.com/news/projects/computers/two/story/4534509p-4248214c.html that Tui Consulting was being sued by Singapore
’s largest electricity retailer, SP Services, for problems related to TUI’s implementation of a SAP computer system. The dispute was reportedly settled in 2005. http://www.rodyk.com/publications/litigation_brief/litigation_brief.php?page=recentwork04 Reports quoted the utility as saying that it encountered large-scale billing problems beginning in January 2000, eventually affecting about 144,000 of the 1.2 million electricity accounts. Tui Consulting denied the claims and filed a countersuit for $3 million, blaming SP Services for the problems.
The New Zealand Herald reported (6 November 2007)http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10474258 that Khan had been a controversial figure in Fiji business and political circles. PCX of which he owned 49% won a US$9.2 million contract in 2004 to supply a new SAP based computer system and maintenance service to the NLTB. PCX was described by NLTB as a step to acquire greater indigenous Fijian involvement in Fiji's developing IT industry. PCX was to handle NLTB's requirements as well as to bid for other IT projects. Staff of the NLTB's IT division were transferred to PCX. The Fiji Labour Party called at the time for a commission of inquiry into the awarding of the contract to PCX. An independent audit report undertaken in 2007 by KPMG Australia criticised the NTLB for allegedly failing to conduct a proper investigation before buying the computer system. The KPMG audit report questioned the credibility of the mySap system and recommended the NLTB seriously reconsider continuing its business relations with PCX. The audit report stated that PCX faced financial difficulties and may be insolvent, with VDC having given it a loan of $(US)2.4m.http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=31851
In April 2005 it was reported http://www.islandsbusiness.com/archives/fiji_business/index_dynamic/containerNameToReplace=MiddleMiddle/focusModuleID=15903/overideSkinName=issueArticle-full.tpl that Khan was a key figure in a bid by PCX to apply for a 3G mobile telephony wireless licence in Fiji. Because of the alignment of PCX with NLTB, through VDC, it was put forth by the NLTB as a company that represented the interests of the indigenous Fijian people. Another interested party in the bid was Digicel, owned by Irish
telecommunications entrepreneur, Denis O'Brien.
. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200711051905/fiji_police_charge_three_over_assassination_plot
0n November 21. 2007 his lawyer Peter Williams Q.C. stated that Khan was seriously ill in hospital as a result of being assaulted by police and the deadline to charge him with offences related to the alleged assassination plot against national leaders had expired.
On November 22, 2007 http://www.fijilive.com/news/show/news/2007/11/22/fijilive7.html Khan was quoted as saying that people of high status within the interim Government of Fiji and the military held grudges against him. On November 25, 2007 a lawyer filed a writ in the Fiji High Court seeking compensation of $F40 million. The writ claimed Khan's treatment amounted to torture and reckless disregard for his health, and his civil rights were abused. Fiji's interim attorney-general, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, stated the government of Fiji would defend the claim.
Indians in Fiji
Indo-Fijians are Fijians whose ancestors came from India and various parts of South Asia, South-East Asia and Asia itself. They number 313,798 out of a total of 827,900 people living in Fiji...
businessman . His company, Tui Management Services, is the joint owner with the Vanua Development Corporation (VDC) of Pacific Connex (PCX), which sells SAP software and has sought to enter the 3G mobile telephony market in Fiji. VDC is the commercial wing of the Native Land Trust Board (NLTB) which administers indigenous land holdings throughout Fiji. He is also a major supporter of the Ovalau
Ovalau
Ovalau is the sixth largest island in Fiji's Lomaiviti Archipelago. Situated at 17.70° South and 178.8° East, , the island is about 13 kilometers long and 10 kilometers wide...
Rugby Union team
Rugby union in Fiji
Rugby union is a popular team sport that is played in Fiji. It is considered to be the national sport of the country. The sport was introduced in the 1880s. Fiji is defined as a tier two rugby nation by the International Rugby Board . The national team has competed at the Rugby World Cup and made...
.
Khan is known for his close ties with the former government of Laisenia Qarase
Laisenia Qarase
Laisenia Qarase is a Fijian political figure. He served as the sixth Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006. After the military quashed the coup that led to the removal of Mahendra Chaudhry, Qarase joined the Interim Military Government as a financial adviser on 9 June 2000, until his appointment...
, which was deposed in the military coup
2006 Fijian coup d'état
The Fijian coup d'état of December 2006 occurred as a continuation of the pressure which had been building since the military unrest of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état and 2005-2006 Fijian political crisis....
of 5 December 2006. He has a tense relationship with the Republic of Fiji Military Forces
Military of Fiji
The Republic of Fiji Military Forces are the military of the Pacific island nation of Fiji. With a total manpower of 3,500 active soldiers and 6,000 reservists, it is one of the smallest militaries in the world. However, most of its surrounding island nations have no militaries at all...
, which predates the coup.
The Fiji Sun
Fiji Sun
The Fiji Sun is a daily newspaper published in Fiji. Owned by Sun News Limited, it was first published in September 1999. An internet edition is also published....
reported on 25 October 2006 that Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Pita Driti
Pita Driti
Lieutenant Colonel Pita Driti is a Fijian soldier. As of January 2007, he serves as the Land Force Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, the third most senior position in the Military...
, the Land Force Commander, had condemned Khan for employing former Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit
Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit (Fiji)
The Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit or CRWU was the common name for the First Meridian Squadron, the unit's formal name, which had been disbanded in 2000...
(CRW) soldiers as bodyguards. The CRW was implicated in a mutiny
Mutinies of Fiji coup of 2000
Two military mutinies took place in connection with the civilian coup d'état that rocked Fiji in 2000, the first while the rebellion instigated by George Speight was in progress, and the second four months after it had ended....
which left eight soldiers dead on 2 November 2000. Driti and Captain Esala Teleni
Esala Teleni
Captain Esala Teleni is a Fijian naval officer, who currently serves as the Commissioner of the Fiji Police Force. He was appointed to this post on 1 July 2007....
, the Deputy Commander of the Military, issued a veiled threat to Khan, http://www.fijilive.com/news/show/news/2006/10/25/fijilive2.html warning that the Military was in a position to stop former CRW soldiers from working for him. http://www.fijilive.com/news/show/news/2006/10/27/fijilive2.html
Following the coup, armed soldiers raided the PCX office and Khan's private residence http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?ref=archive&id=53229 http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?ref=archive&id=53186 http://www.fijivillage.com/artman/publish/article_34282.shtml on 9 December 2006, and arrested six bodyguards who had been CRW soldiers. Documents and hard drives were removed from the office, according to Colonel Driti. http://www.fijilive.com/news/show/news/2006/12/09/fijilive04.html Khan's house was raided again on 12 December. http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=53381 http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=53419 http://www.fijilive.com/news/show/news/2006/12/09/fijilive02.html All of these raids took place while Khan was out of Fiji.
Early life
Ballu Khan was born in Nalomolomo on Nairai Island in 1959. His father died in the Kadavulevu ship disaster when he was 4. http://www.teivovo.com/news/200312/22_balu_khan.html. He graduated with a Masters Degree in Commerce from the University of the South PacificUniversity of the South Pacific
The University of the South Pacific is a public university with a number of locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. It is an international centre for teaching and research on Pacific culture and environment. USP's academic programmes are recognised worldwide, attracting students...
. http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?ref=archive&id=57704. He became a school teacher and taught at Vunisea and Laucala
Laucala
Laucala is one of three small islands lying to the east of Thurston Point on the island of Taveuni in Fiji. The privately owned island is the site of the exclusive Laucala Resort....
Beach Secondary School. He then trained as a chartered accountant and became an investigator for New Zealand's Inland Revenue Department
Inland Revenue Department
Inland Revenue Department may refer to the following government departments responsible for taxation:*Inland Revenue Department *Inland Revenue Department *Inland Revenue, former department in the United Kingdom...
.
Business
Khan formed Tui Consulting in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1997. Tui Consulting's business was assisting utilities and public sector organizations implement SAP software solutions. Tui Consulting has undertaken SAP projects in New Zealand, Australia, United States, Canada, and Singapore. In 2002 he moved the company's headquarters to Tacoma, Washington.http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2002/06/03/daily54.html Axon Group
Axon Group
HCL AXON is a British-based business transformation consultancy which sells its services to customers using SAP as their Enterprise Resource Planning system...
, a business transformation consultancy acquired Tui Consulting for a price, reported to be up to $(US)11.75 in December 2005http://www.advfn.com/news_Axon-to-buy-TUI-Consulting-for-up-to-11-75-mln-usd_13583308.html
It was reported in February 2005 http://dwb.thenewstribune.com/news/projects/computers/two/story/4534509p-4248214c.html that Tui Consulting was being sued by Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
’s largest electricity retailer, SP Services, for problems related to TUI’s implementation of a SAP computer system. The dispute was reportedly settled in 2005. http://www.rodyk.com/publications/litigation_brief/litigation_brief.php?page=recentwork04 Reports quoted the utility as saying that it encountered large-scale billing problems beginning in January 2000, eventually affecting about 144,000 of the 1.2 million electricity accounts. Tui Consulting denied the claims and filed a countersuit for $3 million, blaming SP Services for the problems.
The New Zealand Herald reported (6 November 2007)http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10474258 that Khan had been a controversial figure in Fiji business and political circles. PCX of which he owned 49% won a US$9.2 million contract in 2004 to supply a new SAP based computer system and maintenance service to the NLTB. PCX was described by NLTB as a step to acquire greater indigenous Fijian involvement in Fiji's developing IT industry. PCX was to handle NLTB's requirements as well as to bid for other IT projects. Staff of the NLTB's IT division were transferred to PCX. The Fiji Labour Party called at the time for a commission of inquiry into the awarding of the contract to PCX. An independent audit report undertaken in 2007 by KPMG Australia criticised the NTLB for allegedly failing to conduct a proper investigation before buying the computer system. The KPMG audit report questioned the credibility of the mySap system and recommended the NLTB seriously reconsider continuing its business relations with PCX. The audit report stated that PCX faced financial difficulties and may be insolvent, with VDC having given it a loan of $(US)2.4m.http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=31851
In April 2005 it was reported http://www.islandsbusiness.com/archives/fiji_business/index_dynamic/containerNameToReplace=MiddleMiddle/focusModuleID=15903/overideSkinName=issueArticle-full.tpl that Khan was a key figure in a bid by PCX to apply for a 3G mobile telephony wireless licence in Fiji. Because of the alignment of PCX with NLTB, through VDC, it was put forth by the NLTB as a company that represented the interests of the indigenous Fijian people. Another interested party in the bid was Digicel, owned by Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
telecommunications entrepreneur, Denis O'Brien.
Sport
Khan was identified http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10474043 in 2003 as making a "substantial" financial contribution to help the Auckland Blues rugby club retain a former All Black, Carlos Spencer, when he had been made offers by European rugby clubs. It was also reported that he supported a rugby academy in Fiji that sent young players to New Zealand.2007 Arrest
Ballu Khan was one of a group of people arrested on November 3, 2007 as part of an investigation by the Fiji Police into an alleged assassination plot against members of the government. A military spokesman said that Khan resisted arrest and assaulted the officers who tried to detain him at a checkpoint in Lami. He also said that Khan had sustained minor injuries and was under armed guard at a hospital in SuvaSuva
Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200711051905/fiji_police_charge_three_over_assassination_plot
0n November 21. 2007 his lawyer Peter Williams Q.C. stated that Khan was seriously ill in hospital as a result of being assaulted by police and the deadline to charge him with offences related to the alleged assassination plot against national leaders had expired.
On November 22, 2007 http://www.fijilive.com/news/show/news/2007/11/22/fijilive7.html Khan was quoted as saying that people of high status within the interim Government of Fiji and the military held grudges against him. On November 25, 2007 a lawyer filed a writ in the Fiji High Court seeking compensation of $F40 million. The writ claimed Khan's treatment amounted to torture and reckless disregard for his health, and his civil rights were abused. Fiji's interim attorney-general, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, stated the government of Fiji would defend the claim.